1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an improved cutter bit. More particularly, the invention relates to a shaft mounted rotary cutter bit of the type mounted in rotary woodworking machines. Specifically, the invention relates to multi-edged rotary cutting bits having multiple profiles on a single bit.
2. Background Information
It is customary in building construction, as well as the construction of furniture and cabinetry to impart decorative profiles upon the wood. Moreover, many joints are created by imparting a variety of profiles on the wood to create stronger joints, as well as to provide increased surface areas for glue contact at the joint. Regardless of the reason for imparting a profile on the wood, the profile may be created in one of two methods. Hand planes may be utilized, which planes have a cutting knife shaped with a negative of the profile to be imparted on the wood. However, such planes are expensive, inaccurate and require significant skill to utilize. As such, many power tools have been specifically designed to impart a desired profile onto a workpiece while existing tools have been modified to allow those tools to also impart the desired profile.
While many such tools exist, routers and rotary cutters are by far the most prevalent. Rotary cutters include a motor which rotates a chuck at a predetermined or variable speed. When the rotary tool operator wishes to impart a given profile onto a workpiece, the shank of the a cutter bit having the desired profile is installed into the chuck. When the motor is activated, the cutter bit will rotate with each blade of the bit removing material from the workpiece creating the desired profile.
As woodworking becomes increasingly popular in the hobby market, and competition increases in the building trades, a significant number of cutter bits, each presenting a corresponding profile, have been developed. In some markets, the need to changes bits often, or alternatively, to utilize bits which have complementary shapes, has also been developed. While changing bits is not particularly difficult, a number of problems are presented to the operator. More particularly, when a finish carpenter or cabinet maker must switch bits, it is common to loosen the chuck which retains the router by the use of one or two wrenches, and to grasp the bit on or adjacent the cutter knives to remove the shank from the collet mounted in the chuck. While this presumably is adequate for the purpose for which it is intended, it often occurs that the bit will be difficult to remove and further pressure must be placed on the bit to remove it from the rotary cutting tool. It often happens that the user""s fingers get cut given the close proximity of the user""s fingers to the cutting knives which are extremely sharp in order to assure that a clean, smooth profile is imparted on the workpiece. When the user""s fingers are cut in this nature, the cuts are often extremely deep and do not heal quickly. Additionally, given that the tool is usually housed within a garage, shop, or on a work site, the cut is more likely to become infected given the amount of dirt and debris in the work space.
Separately, when a router bit is placed into a collet, care must be taken to assure that the router bit does not bottom out in the bottom of the chuck or collet as the collet will not grip the bit as aggressively, and it is somewhat common in the work place for a bit which has been improperly chucked into the rotary tool to fly out of the tool causing property damage and injury to the operator and others surrounding the operator. It is thus important that the free end of the shank mounted within the collet extend upwardly from the bottom of the chuck in order to assure that it will aggressively grip the bit in position. On the job site when time is important, positioning the bit away from the bottom of the chuck can be difficult. As such, there is a need for a self-positioning router bit mounted on the rotary cutting tool.
Still further, most routers and rotary cutting tools come with a set of wrenches for opening and closing the chuck to insert and remove router bits respectively. Given that a significant number of tools exist on a job site or in a work shop, the need exists to reduce the number of tools which are necessary to complete ordinary tasks such as changing cutter bits. As a result, it is important that the tools which are carried by a trim carpenter or cabinet maker may be used for multiple purposes such as, for example, opening and closing the chuck on the router, and for placement on the router bit to remove the bit from the rotary cutting tool.
Thus, the need exists for a light-weight rotary cutting bit which is self-positioning on the cutting tool and which provides for a way to remove the bit from the rotary cutting tool without placing the user""s hands in danger of being harmed by the cutting knives and in which the tool for removing the bit is also the tool which is used to open and close the chuck formed on the collet carried by the rotary cutting tool.
Objectives of the invention include providing a light-weight cutter bit.
A further objective of the invention is to provide a cutter bit wherein the bit is self-positioning on the rotary cutting tool.
A still further objective is to provide a cutter bit having a boss to accept a wrench for removing the bit from the rotary cutting tool.
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a cutter bit whereby the wrench to remove the cutter bit from the rotary cutting tool is the same wrench which is used to operate the chuck on the rotary cutting tool.
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a cutter bit which keeps the user""s hands away from the knives during bit removal and replacement.
A still further objective is to provide a cutter bit which is of simple construction which achieves the standard objectives in a simple, effective and inexpensive manner and which solves problems and satisfies needs existing in the art.
These and other objectives and advantages of the invention are obtained by the improved cutter bit, the general nature which may be stated as including a cutter comprising: a body; a shank integrally formed with the body; a boss extending outwardly from the shank; said boss having a configuration adapted for engagement with a wrench. The cutter bit as defined, in which the router bit is adapted to be engaged with a chuck, and in which the boss contacts the chuck during use.